IDOLS AND GOD Hosea 13:2 - Hosea 14:8

I. Introduction

A. Notice at the beginning of this chapter the nature of their sin is decal red. Idols made according to their understanding.

1. Whenever a person departs from God, the religious nature of that person will make a god of their own choosing.

2. How often we hear people express themselves in this fashion.

3. Well I don't think God will do that! I think God has given me the right to do this. I don't think it's wrong.

B. We create a god according to our own liking, according to our own understanding.

1. The words " I think" are indicative of the problem.

2. Our minds are not the final religious arbiter.

3. We need an authoritative standard greater than our own mind.

II. This leads to the question - What is the Cause of Idolatry?

A. Idolatry is a false answer to the religious call of human nature.

1. Why is it that we make our own gods? Humanity is so created that it has an inherent necessity for God.

2. Every person on earth has their god. Every human being has devoted the force of their lives to something.

3. Henry Van Dyke says " in every life there is a ruling passion. It may be music, art, business or family, but

whatever it is - it is the mainspring of your life."

4. That ruling passion is the cause of all idolatry.

B. Mark the Course of it. They make their idols according to their own understanding.

1. When people lose the true vision of God, the real truth concerning God then they construct a god according to their own understanding.

2. Because it is the product of our fallen minds, it is always a false conception.

3. This is the very reason God has given us an objective standard - one that does not change according to whim.

4. That standard is the Bible. This is a strong argument for the need of a written record of God' Will.

5. No matter how far we any one of us can go to the Bible and find a true revelation of God.

6. It remains the bedrock of faith for millenniums.

7. If you ask, what is truth? There is an answer for you - Go to your Bible.

C. What Is the Curse of Idolatry?

A. When we make our own idols we make them like ourselves.

1. The result is disastrous - they become polluted and imperfect like ourselves.

2. One disaster that comes with creating our own god is the rejection of Divine judgment.

3. Since God is a god of love, He won't send me to Hell.

4. There are two things here - first where do I find in literature that God is love - in the Bible.

5. Where do we find the doctrine of hell in the Bible.

D. Isn't it interesting how we create a god of our own understanding.

1. I like a god that loves me - I'll believe that.

2. I don't like a God that will judge me - I won't believe that.

3. Do you get the point - We create our own kind of God. We conjure him in our minds - gods of our own understanding.

4. The Bible is certainly relevant isn't it.?

III. HOPE

A. The book ends with a message of hope.

1. In it God sees them turning from idols to Him.

2. God is expressing confidence in the fact that they will make the right decision.

B. In verses 4-5 there are two movements, one describing the action of God, the other telling the results of the action.

1. The first is revealed in the recurring phrase - I will.

2. The second in the words - He Will

3. Note first God's action - I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, my anger is turned away - I will be as the dew to Israel. I will look after you.

C. Then He gives the results that come from God's action.

1. You will blossom like the lily. You will revive like the grain.

2. The lily stands for beauty and purity. The lily can growing the muck of the swamp and never be defiled by it.

3. It retains its lily white beauty in the midst of corruption.

IV. Notice Ephraim Response to God's Love (4,8,9)

A. God had said; J will love you freely - that means He loves you is own free will, quite independently of our own just desserts.

1. God loves you in spite of your rebellion - He looks after you even while you are neglecting Him.

2. God just can't help loving you.

B. Verse 9 says - whoever is wise will under stand and respond to God's love and His call for salvation and forgiveness.

I. Why will you respond? Because an intelligent person knows that God's ways are right.

2. If they are right~the intelligent and sensible thing to do is walk in them. That is a logical sensible progression.

C. So I appeal to your intellect this morning - doesn't it make sense to turn from the wrong way to walk in the right way.